Walt Whitman Bridge to close two nights for re-decking project

On-ramps to the bridge will be closed beginning at about 11 p.m. tonight and Tuesday night.

The Walt Whitman Bridge will be closed in both directions early Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.Credit: Wiki Commons

The Walt Whitman Bridge will close late tonight into Tuesday morning and Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as a four-year, $140 million re-decking project wraps up.

On-ramps to the bridge will be closed beginning about 11 p.m. both nights. The bridge will be closed to traffic in both directions between midnight and 4 a.m. each morning, the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) recently announced.

Construction crews will install four new overhead sign gantries and remove three yellow gantry cranes used to re-deck the bridge roadway during the overnight closures.

Officials advise late-night motorists to use the Ben Franklin Bridge, the Commodore Barry Bridge or the PATCO Hi-Speed Line during the closures.

In the event of rain or heavy winds either night, the gantries will be installed and removed the next clear night, DRPA said.

“We thank our customers for their patience and understanding throughout the course of this project,” DRPA chief engineer Michael Venuto said. “Although a two-night closure might disrupt some traffic, it signals the approaching end of the re-decking project. Seven-lane traffic flow across the Walt Whitman Bridge is just around the corner.”